Vaping death toll in US rises to 43: New Yorker becomes latest victim as Governor Andrew Cuomo urges Trump to BAN e-cigarettes
- Second death linked to a vaping-related illness is confirmed in New York
- A total of at least 43 people have been killed across the United States
- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo calls on federal government to act
- President Trump urged to follow through on pledge to curb e-cigarettes
The death of a man in New York has become the latest to be linked to vaping and has led to renewed calls for President Donald Trump to ban electronic cigarettes.
A man in his 30s became the latest victim to die of a vaping-related illness, bringing the national death toll to 43.
The Manhattan man had a reported history of using e-cigarettes and vape products and an investigation by the Department of Health (DOH) concluded that vaping-associated illness caused his death.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has called on President Trump to follow through on his pledge to ban flavored e-cigarettes.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (right) warned of a public health crisis and urged President Trump (left) to act
The latest death in New York brings the nationwide total up to 43
The Democratic governor said: ‘The DOH is continuing its robust investigation into the cause of these illnesses, but in the meantime our message on vaping remains unchanged: if you don’t know what you’re smoking, don’t smoke it.
‘President Trump has already backed down from his vow to ban the sale of most flavored e-cigarettes – despite widespread evidence that these flavors are used to target our teens and young adults – and put the interests of the vaping industry over the lives of Americans.
‘This is Big Tobacco all over again.
‘Make no mistake: this is a public health crisis and until our ‘leaders’ in Washington do something to stop it, more lives will be lost.’
A nationwide ban would mean products not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help people quit smoking tobacco would be pulled from shelves.
The ban would cover all devices currently on the market, because none have been reviewed or approved. The FDA has been criticized for pushing back its deadline to begin reviewing them, which is now next May.
President Trump announced in September that he was moving to ban flavored e-cigarettes as vaping (file picture) among young people continued to rise
A total of 43 deaths have been linked to vaping in the US, with 2,172 people in every state except Alaska, Washington, DC and Puerto Rico having been hospitalized with lung illnesses linked to vaping.
President Trump’s nominee for FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn refused at his confirmation hearing on Wednesday to promise to move forward with a ban on flavored e-cigarettes.
The radiation oncologist said: ‘I understand that the final compliance policy is under consideration, I don’t want to prejudge that.’
President Trump announced in September that he was moving to ban flavored e-cigarettes as vaping among young people continued to rise.
More than 28 per cent of high school students in the United States use e-cigarettes, up from 20 per cent in 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
President Trump has since appeared to stall on taking action, reportedly out of concerns it would cause a loss of support from voters in his 2020 reelection campaign and cost jobs in the vaping industry, according to Politico.
Senate HELP ranking member Patty Murray and Senator Mitt Romney Senator Mitt Romney questioned Hahn over whether he would submit to White House opposition to the ban.
However, Hahn said he always put patients first as doctor.
E-cigarettes first appeared in the US more than a decade ago and have grown in popularity despite little research on their long-term effects.